Man tries to escape coronavirus quarantine by dressing in a T-rex costume

A man who tested positive for coronavirus was reportedly arrested after walking in the street wearing a T-Rex dinosaur outfit to take his rubbish outside.

Footage of the man dressed as an enormous brown dinosaur was posted by Murcia Police who intercepted him in the street, while Spain is on lockdown as it battles to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

Writing on Twitter, Murcia Police said while dog owners can go on short walks, dinosaurs cannot. They wrote: "During state of alarm, walking of pets is allowed if accompanied by one person, always short walks so they can relieve themselves. Having a Tyrannosaurus rex is not covered. #stayathome.”

One viewer defended the trip.

They said: “He went to put the rubbish out. It's a justified trip out of the house. A little humour is not a bad thing at the moment. He's made us all laugh.'

A day earlier Murcia Police, located in the southeastern Spanish city, reminded nationals of the quarantine rules: "Remember that you can go outside during the ESSENTIAL TIME so that our pet meets his needs and do not forget to collect their droppings. Do not use your pet as an excuse to break the rules."

Spain is in lockdown as it edges closer to Iran in the number of coronavirus cases after reporting 13,910 in dramatic rise. It has the fourth highest number of cases worldwide and has seen 623 deaths.

Prime minister Pedro Sanchez told a near-empty Parliament this morning: "We have never lived through anything like this.

"And our society, which had grown used to changes that expand our possibilities of knowledge, health, and life, now finds itself in a war to defend all we have taken for granted.”

Another commented the police had overreacted, adding “You can put your rubbish out, right? What does it matter how he does it? It's best to do it with a little bit of fun than go mad.”

"It is clear that annual GDP will fall, as the European Commission has already pointed out. 2020 will not have 12 months, but 10 or even 9.

"If we manage to maintain employment levels and the production structure as long as the crisis lasts without major and irreparable damage, at the end of the crisis there would be a quick recovery, including a possible rebound effect that would accelerate activity."

On Saturday, the Spanish government declared a two-week state of emergency.

Mr Sanchez said Spain will "mobilise all resources", including the military, to contain a sharp rise in cases.

It comes after more than 60,000 people were confined to four towns in Spain's first mandatory lockdown. The situation in and around the capital Madrid has seen nearly 2,000 positive cases.

The country had more than 4,200 cases by Friday afternoon and at least 120 deaths.